In the essay below, Rayfield offers an overview of the reception of Uncle Vanya, emphasizing critics' reactions to Chekhov's reworking of The Wood Demon.

Our own critical interpretation of Uncle Vania can only build on the Russian public's reception, at first bemused, then enthusiastic, of the work. Three factors inhibited the response: firstly the play was published two years before it was first performed in Moscow 26 October 1899 (even though it had had a number of provincial performances from 1897); secondly, although The Wood Demon had been read and seen by only a few hundred people, it was widely known that the new play was a reworking of its lame prototype; thirdly The Seagull, which was published in the same 1897 edition of Chekhov's collected plays, was still recovering its reputation from...